JIAJING INCISED AND GILT SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1522-1566)

The choice of motifs on this box is in keeping with the Jiajing emperor's keen interest in Daoism and the attainment of immortality. This imagery is reinforced through symbols representing longevity such as the depiction of the lingzhi fungus, cranes and the Shou character.

A closely related box of nearly identical decoration and form but of slightly smaller size is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Lacquers Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, no. 137 (fig. 1). Another related example is a lacquer box and cover decorated with cranes and shou character from the Kaisendo Museum, Japan, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 1 June 2011, lot 3574.